If I wasn’t terrified of flying I’d visit a while bunch of places and take in as much live music as possible. I’d start out in New York and follow a band called Lazy Queen around. So I guess I’ll have to wait until they eventually come to the UK.
Lazy Queen are loud. Real loud and each song sounds like they are out to prove something. I can’t pin point what they’re trying to prove, but they’re easily one of the most exciting bands around and have understandably gained a rep as being an electrifying live band. You can make sense of their sound on record, but you just know that their live shows is where they truly shine.
I’ve got this image in my mind of how their live shows are. Lots of sweat and tired bodies throwing themselves around. There is something brilliantly demonic in their music- a little tamer than bands such as Pop.1280 and Spectres but brutal all the same. Lazy Queen are still a relatively new band but with a sound as strong as theirs, they can easily put others to shame. They only have 4 songs on their bandcamp page, and the 5 minute haunting style of Ants pretty much shows just how brilliant Lazy Queen are.
They’re not a band you write poetically about. I’m not a fan of pretentious descriptions. I don’t want to be told that a song will make me feel like I’m running carefree through a meadow. Fuck that. I want to be told that this is the loudest and most aggressive thing I’ll ever hear. Or something similar. So how will Lazy Queen make you feel? I can’t say, that’s on you.
They take elements of band like The Jesus And Mary Chain, My Bloody Valentine and Pixies. They take these influences and make something remarkable of their own. In a world full of people talking pointless noise, it’s nice to hear bands like Lazy Queen who have something worth paying attention to. Then again, my idea of socialising is going to buy records and talking to the person in the shop about them.
In a few months Lazy Queen will be releasing a 4 track EP called Drift. If I was to comply a list of EPs I’ve enjoyed this year, I’d probably end up putting Drift in there. Sure I’ve not heard it, but what I have hear from these guys is enough to know that they’re going to do great things and will hopefully gain some cult-like following.
Lazy Queen may be for those who like their music a little loud and a little creepy. Maybe those who value their hearing may shy away from the band, but if you can- go see them live. They’re a band that when you go see them, you stand right by the speakers and pay no mind to the fact that you’re going to be deaf tomorrow and probably for a few days afterwards. It’ll be worth it. If you’ve not left a gig with some kind of injury, then you’ve not had a nice time.
I started to write this and managed to delete everything I had written. Maybe it was a sign. Or maybe I’m just clumsy with my fingers. Probably both. I’ll start it again. Unfortunately I have a really bad memory (sometimes it’s a good thing) so I can’t remember what I originally wrote. Hopefully I won’t mess up this time.
Punk is alive and well in certain bands. It’s alive in most of the bands I listen to, other bands have basically pissed all over what Punk is and created something truly horrendous called “Pop-Punk.” Awful. Really awful. Punk had this bite to it that made you listen. It was, in all its glory obnoxious and brutal. It was snotty and portrayed angst in a way that caused parents in the 70s to wash their kids ears out at bedtime religiously in the hopes they wouldn’t go to the “dark side.” Punk is the one kind of music that really made me pay attention fully to what I was listening to. I was aware there was a message coming through, and the message was my own to decipher. Punk was for those and is for those who aren’t happy with how things are. Those who are bored and tired of routine. Those who know there is something more and would rather kick the door down than knock politely.
Dead Boys were fronted by one of the greatest frontmen of all time, Stiv Bators. Stiv and wiry body leaped and flailed across the stage in a way that would leave you thinking his body could snap at any moment. He got his point across by being snotty on stage. A proper obnoxious brat who when you listen to him, made you as pissed off as him. What or who rattled your cage? Doesn’t even matter. All that matters is letting it out.
What I absolutely adore about Dead Boys was their ability to really capture the essence of Punk and make it so brutal to the point of being sinister. Some songs like Ain’t It Fun and All This And More have something really terrifying about them. Bands like the Ramones portrayed the frustrations of daily life better than most but Dead Boys took it some place dark. Dead Boys weren’t and aren’t for the faint hearted I guess. Thing is, I can’t stand loud people at all but I love loud music. I don’t like obnoxious and arrogant people, but I love music that has that about it. I don’t know why, but it’s just something that holds my attention longer than most. Dead Boys were as bold as they came. Stiv sometimes tearing up his stomach with a mic stand- he was as outrageous as Iggy. Except I don’t think Stiv ever covered himself in peanut butter. His wiry frame and distinctive voice made him and Dead Boys stand out amongst the Punk scene. I believe they are one of the most underrated bands of all time. Cheetah is one of the finest guitar players ever. Him and Johnny Thunders just made you wish you could make noise like that. Trashy, loud and so perfect. It made you want to play as loud as them and without a care in the world.
At best their songs were sordid, depraved and smutty. All the best songs are. They took you to a world where conventional means wouldn’t. They unleashed this world upon on you with their close to creepy songs. No other band could get away with it, no other band could do it like Dead Boys. There was something so special and rare about these guys. They went beyond being “just another Punk band.” They started something that is still in the belly, burning in some of the bands I listen to.
Known for their lewd live shows, no other band has come close to how they were on stage. They aren’t a band that you can say “oh they could have been great.” Shit. They INSTANTLY became great the second people started paying attention. In all their obnoxious glory, they were one of the best bands ever. Their unconventional and so far from romantic songs about girls were brilliant. I guess now “feminists” would be all whiny about how they objectify women or whatever. As a female, I don’t really care. I love the music and the content. It’s a different world to what I know and I love it. They take you to some underground and unsafe place covered in darkness. You can’t help but play it loud and try to move around like Stiv.
Sadly Stiv died in 1990 after being hit by a car. If he was still around know he probably would be teaching us all how its done still. Dead Boys may be no more, but what they did for Punk and many who were against “typical” will never be forgotten or undone. They were before my time, but when I listen to them I feel like I am in the moment from when it all began. Timeless, forever influential and nothing short of greatness.
The most handsome men in music are back. Crocodiles, the loveliest guys you’ll ever meet are back with a new record called Boys out in a few months, but first, to get you ready for this stunning record (I’ve heard it and no other record is going to be as important as Boys this year) they have just put out the video to Crybaby Demon.
Crybaby Demon is a trashy and smutty number. If any band can make you feel violated and dirty in the best way possible, then it is easily Crocodiles. With Charlie’s unapologetic sneering guitar sounds and Brandon’s smouldering vocals, Crybaby Demon is the perfect Crocodiles song to lose your mind to. Sure we can call start mini riots to I Wanna Kill, but Crybaby Demon is the year’s most trashiest anthem. Gloriously perverse and weird.
The video to Crybaby Demon is directed by Tito Echevarria (Young Boys/SISU) and it feels like one of those obscure films that are on TV at 3am when you’re too wired to sleep. It feels like every lucid dream you’ve ever had. A real sleazy and utterly charming video that brings the song to life, a perfect fit.
It is fairly obvious that I could write about Crocodiles until I ran out of words or something equally dramatic. There is something massively relatable about their lyrics and something freeing within their music. They take you out of your comfort zone and into the unknown. I just bloody love these guys and cannot wait for everyone to hear Boys and for the tour to start.
Crocodiles are one of the few bands that have that real Punk feel to their music and how they do it. Their DIY ethic is evident in all they do, and that alone demands respect. If you’ve never seen them live, GO. Their shows are wild and carefree. The London crowd that go see them are the least dickish London crowds around (I’ve been to enough shows in London to be tired of seeing people just stand still when exposed to brilliant live music.) It’s just like one big party and the love the fans have for Crocodiles is just bloody lovely. Hopefully I’ve sold it to you!
Boys is out via Zoo Music on 11th May. Outcasts, deviants and rebels rejoice because this record is for YOU.
“I don’t know how to make nice I don’t know where I went wrong I don’t know how to tell you So I learned the words to all of your songs.”
I’m currently faced with one of the most difficult tasks in life- buying a new coat. I hate all of them and I think the best solution to not be cold is to just not leave the house during Winter. If I need anything, I can just buy it online. But then again, there’s the thing of having a job and having to leave the house to get there. It’s all so difficult. You know what else is difficult? Trying to break in my new Docs. I don’t want to part with my old ones. They’ve been through a lot. I clearly don’t adapt well to change do I.
Writing about a band that I love is usually easy. When it;s a band that I’m pals with, then it feels a bit weird. Then again, if I didn’t like it I wouldn’t write about it so there’s really nothing to worry about.
Yesterday, finally, Band Practice released their debut record Make Nice came out today. If I was going to make a list of brilliant records of 2014, I’d definitely put them in there. But I’m not doing that this year, I’ll do lyrics instead. Anyway. So the record came out today and it’s ridiculous.
Band Practice are Ben and Jeanette (she does The Miscreant magazine. I write for them, she’s awesome as is the magazine. She didn’t tell me to tell you that, I felt like it.) JW’s voice is beautiful.
The songs are everything you thought high school would be. For me, it was nothing like it. There were no crushing crushes, nothing of the sort. I was and always be an average bore. Band Practice have provided songs that will ease anyone out of their awkward stage, or in adulthood- make it easier to deal with.
The 9 track record starts with the awesome Band Practice Theme Song. JW pays a little homage to wonder kids Comfy in the line, “This is my big comfy scarf.” This is the perfect track to open Make Nice with. But I want to talk about my ultimate favourite off the record, Bartending At Silent Barn. It’s full of wonderful self-doubt and I’m pretty sure anyone who listens to it will relate to it a hell of a lot. I adore the line, “Nobody in my head likes me so sometimes I get lonely .” It’s such a sad line, and I’m fairly sure why I love it. I tend to go for lyrics that are quite self-loathing and the like. I love the way JW sings this song, and I feel a bit awkward talking about how she sings! I love how there’s a bit of a fed-up feel to her voice at the start, then a little giggle happens (I think it’s a giggle) and the song just smacks you beautifully in the face. The drums, always the drums isn’t it.
Band Practice have basically put a record out to fit every mood. If you want to sulk in your room, stay in your pjs and never see anybody again- this is the record for you. Ultimately, you can also flail your limbs about to some of the tracks without a care in the world. Do a mix of all of them, but make sure you don’t overlook the lyrics. The lyrics are gorgeously crafted, and yet again, another band that make me wish I had even a small fraction of musical talent. Alas, I don’t. I just do this instead. Some of the songs will break your heart (Spare Parts) but really, what you’ll adore are the quick-witted lyrics sung by Jeanette and Ben. See, this is why duos are just the best.
Make Nice has been released by the great Chill Mega Chill, and you can buy the tape/download it here:
Back in April I wrote about one of New York’s finest band. A band that are loud, brilliant and decadent. No other band is going to move you like they do. No other band is going to make you feel as violated as they do. All in the most pleasurable way possible, of course.
Their new record, Hate Young Boys may only be 6 tracks long but it’s enough to put you in a dancing spin and to just gloriously melt your brain. Their record was made for those hazy summer days when you’re trapped indoors due to the blistering heat. There is something about Young Boys that makes you want to crawl to your nearest dive bar and engage with the most depraved individual you see and to just raise hell with them. Their lustful songs will get you through the blistering heat. I’m all for David ‘Legs’ McDaniel serenading my ears with his hypnotising voice.
Hate Young Boys is a brilliant record that is bathed in sinful yet glorious melodies that will make you forget you are in 2014. They’ve got something futuristic going on, but with a hint of past Garage Rock bands about them. They’re a typical band that I would go for, this is the kind of music I truly love and always want to hear. The soundtrack to my days as I daydream about something better, because we all know that there is something better. But is there anything better than this Young Boys record? Don’t be silly, of course not.
I think at the moment I’ll say Sin Again is my favourite track off Hate Young Boys. It’s pretty dark but is coupled with synths beautifully. I know I said when I wrote about them that Young Boys sounded how a New York band should, but I think I want to take that comment back slightly. You see, as I listen to this record I am not seeing any images of New York in my mind. All I’m seeing is Berlin. If a piece of music or a band can make you do this, then you know you’ve found something utterly timeless.
I’ve never seen Young Boys live (please come back to the UK) but I’d imagine their live shows to be sweaty, teetering to the edge of danger with lust and passion filling the room. Their music is highly romantic, and maybe it’s David’s vocals that make it seem that way. There is something about his voice that I hope in years to come someone says that he made them want to sing or start a band.
There’s a gang like feel to their sound. It is tight and it cannot be swayed nor can it be compromised. There have been some amazing releases this year, and Hate Young Boys is easily one of the best. It is rambunctious in all the right places, and I’ll quite happily spend the rest of my evening listening to it.
I don’t need to write any more than this about it. Go listen to it right here: http://youngboys.bandcamp.com/album/hate-young-boys play it as loud as you like, and let these handsome devils enter your being and allow your limbs to flail as if you are unapologetically possessed.
Punk hasn’t and will not ever die. There will never ever be a style of Music that is as influential and as great as Punk. There will never ever be a band as great and as influential as the Ramones. You can keep your Beatles, and your Led Zeppelins. I’m aware it means something to others, but to me they meant nothing. Their songs and sounds didn’t speak to me. Ramones however, they did more than just speak to me. They were the backbone to a genre of Music that I simply can’t do without, and could never imagine not listening to.
Sure you get people who claim that Punk is just noise. But they probably listened to one song and that was it. Until recently I pretty much turned my nose up at the Sex Pistols. I thought I didn’t get it, but I sat and listened to them for a view hours and loved how obnoxious young Johnny Rotten sounded. In my heart of hearts though, it is New York that is the REAL home of Punk and I fail to see how anyone could question that.
At only 62 years old, Tommy Ramone, the last original member of the Ramones has died. He was probably the finest drummer my ears have ever been exposed to. He kept up the fast and furious pace of the signature Ramones sound. He made it look so effortless, he made you want to pick up some drumsticks and drum your itty bitty heart out.
I’ve got a copy of Leave Home on vinyl, and when I play it when I visit my family I find myself staring at the cover. Taking in their poses and how all they did was done with purpose. No doubt it was done with a lot of blood, sweat and arguments but nothing good comes easy. If you aren’t willing to struggle, then just give up. Ramones taught me to not give up. I’ve read Mickey Leigh’s book about his brother Joey (I Slept With Joey Ramone) many times to know that for me, Joey is my hero. Tommy added something to the Ramones that the others didn’t, and they knew it. He added a form of stability that kept them together. When he left the band in 78, he went on to produce a few more of their records so the real sound of the Ramones was always there. He was a brilliant drummer and producer.
If it wasn’t for the Ramones, most of the bands that I listen to and love wouldn’t have formed. They wouldn’t have wanted to make their own scene, their own noise. Ramones made it easier for me to feel alright in the skin I’m in. It’s perfectly fine to not think like others, it’s alright to have your own interests and to hang out by yourself. It’s normal to get angry at what you see happening in the world. It’s alright to just be how you are. The minute you change for someone, you stop being yourself.
62 is no age, and cancer is a bastard.
Although there are no more original members of the Ramones around, we will always have the music. That will never go, and all they stood for is around in your favourite band. When your favourite singer towers over the mic stand, that’s Joey Ramone coming through. When your favourite drummer goes nuts and just blows your mind with how fast they play, that’s their Tommy Ramone inside of them. When you see your favourite bassist yelling out “1-2-3-4” and the music kicks in, that’s their Dee Dee Ramone coming out. And when your favourite guitarist stands playing with a wealth of fury yet looking effortlessly cool, that’s their inner Johnny Ramone shining.
Ramones placed something in their fans that they will always carry round with them, and that’s why Punk won’t ever die. It just goes some place else.
With Brandon’s seductive glare and Dee Dee’s lustful gaze, Haunted Hearts have put out one of the most alluring videos of the year. Their record, Initiation is out at the end of the month on their Zoo Music label, and if you care about good music then you should probably invest in their releases.
Initiation is a beautifully mellow and spacey record that is made up of moments that make you realise why you love music. I didn’t expect the record to sound like it did at all, meaning it sounds nothing like Dum Dum Girls or Crocodiles. I’m just glad it is only a matter of weeks before it comes out.
The video to Up Is Up features the stunning New York drag collective, Chez Deep. The video will make you want to dance under a disco ball wearing a smile and some heart-shaped sunglasses. It’s a wonderfully shot video that makes you feel as if you’ve stepped out of a Hubert Selby Jr novel (of course I mean Last Exit To Brooklyn.)
Watch the video and allow yourself to be sucked into a glorious world consisting of Haunted Hearts and Chez Deep.
If a band can make your mind feel polluted and dirty like The Jesus And Mary Chain did, then you know you’ve found a band worth clinging onto. If a band can make you feel as if something is crawling in your brain and trying to get out, turning you into an angsty/irritated mess, then again you have found something to grip onto. Bands like this don’t happen often, especially now and I really should have written about this band a few years ago, but like a dumbass- I forgot. I forget a lot of things, so I’m sorry. I can make up for it now.
Young Boys are an incredible band from New York. Their lust filled, fuzzy songs are what my record collection pines for on a daily basis. They are the kind of band you want to see in a sleazy basement bar, and you leave you are covered in sweat that isn’t yours and you smell of drinks that never touched your trembling lips. Young Boys are the soundtrack to the most sadistic dreams and thoughts you have ever had. They allow you feel something truly dark, and they don’t make you feel bad for feeling it.
They are a band you can imagine that when you see them live, some form of riot will ensue. They are usually the best shows; when your body feels as if something or someone has smacked into it a dozen times and left you wanting more of this fuzzy stuff in your eyes and seeping out to your toes until you feel alive and totally wired. That’s when you know you’ve had a pleasurable outer-body experience. Young Boys thrust upon you decadent feelings and the ability to just launch your body into the nearest wall, just in search of a feeling. But what is in a feeling? If it feels good, someone is gong to tell you it is bad. You tell them to shut up and you play them something by Young Boys.
I’ve cared about Young Boys music for some time now, and I’ve made several attempts to write something about them but always deleted it and left it alone. I don’t understand why now at 10.15pm is the right time to unleash my feelings and thoughts towards their music, but it is better than not doing so.
Their debut record, New York Sun is the kind of record you play whilst walking through the city in the blistering heat. Sure you may hate everything around you, but the pieces of the city that you love- you keep close to you. You don’t want anyone to know of the things you hold sacred. So you go to the spot where you feel at ease, and watch the world pass you by as you listen to this record. That’s probably one of the best ways to enjoy it. Another way of enjoying this record is to play it really fucking loud and flail your limbs about- in private or public. Don’t be shy, just do whatever you want to do when you listen to this record. New York Sun is a record full of dark lust and obscure thoughts. It’s all kinds of perfect with hints of weirdness. Young Boys go to that place where you and others are too scared to go. Ode To Me is a punishment for those who have done wrong. I think it’s my favourite off their record, but I’m more than likely going to change my mind because New York Sun is a brilliant record. A brilliant debut record.
Anyone who talks about this band is going to insist that if you love that Scottish band with two brothers in it, then you will love Young Boys. That’s just a lazy observation and makes me really hate my kind (music journalists) I just wish they would dig a bit deeper or you know, just stop with comparing bands to other bands. Young Boys feel how a New York based band should. There’s this brilliant haunting vibe about them that makes you feel something massively creepy is waiting for you, but when you turn around you realise it is just your mind. So, if you love music that teeters with your mind and just freaks you out- then Young Boys are for you.
Throw on your battered (fake) leather jacket, head out into the sun and feel something strange yet beautiful.
“On a standard New York night
Ghouls go to see their so called stars.
A fairly stupid thing
To pay 5 bucks for a 4th rate imitators.”
I had this bright idea to go through every record by The Cure once and to write about them. I figured I’d do the same for Lou Reed, then realised it just wouldn’t work. I can’t dissect every solo record he made and figure out what they mean to me. It’d be boring for the poor sod who reads it, so I’ll spare them. I’ll go into a few records, the ones I know I can write about. I’ll start with Sally Can’t Dance because for reasons that aren’t too clear, it’s the only Lou Reed record I’ve been playing constantly for the past week or so. In fact, he’s the only person I really want to listen to. That’s not a bad thing, it’s perfectly fine with me.
Sally Can’t Dance is Lou’s fourth solo record and I’m pretty sure it is the first one that has no songs by The Velvet Underground on, and is also the first solo record of his to be recorded in America. It still has a typical Berlin feel to it though, he stays true to his weird and wonderful lyrics with a Funk based groove. The best thing about Lou Reed is that nothing in particular influenced. On some of his solo records you can get a Gospel feel coming through, elements of Disco and Glam Rock are in a lot of his songs. He took bits and pieces and created something truly inspirational.
Firstly I want to get into the song, Billy. The sax on it is ridiculous; it fits perfectly with Lou’s storytelling and stripped back feel to the song. It is the perfect. Billy shows just how perfect Lou’s writing was. He was a true storyteller; some fact, some fiction. You believed and hung onto his every word because it offered some kind of understanding in a cruel world. His songs have always had a flamboyant kick to it, and his strut on stage was a billion times more sassier than anyone elses. Maybe it was his blonde locks that brought this out of him.
Sally Can’t Dance is probably as flamboyant as Transformer. I know everyone says Transformer is probably his best solo record (I won’t dispute this ever) but it has seriously got some tough competition against Sally Can’t Dance. Sally Can’t Dance is everything a Rock record should be. It’s in your face, it is lyrically disturbing at times and more importantly, it’s a Lou Reed record. Lou Reed makes me wish I was born decades earlier so I could have experienced it all when it was happening. Imaging roaming the streets of New York, and this was what you and your pals were spending your days listening to. Instead, it is 2014 and I’m doing it alone because I don’t know anyone else who loves him. But I don’t mind, at least nobody is interrupting the music for me.
Lyrically, my favourite song from Sally Can’t Dance has to be Ennui. When Lou does bitter and angry, he does it better than most. He’s really digging into this person in such an unforgiving fashion; he’s really calling out this person. We all know of someone who is like this; they want people to fawn over them, they want everyone to love them and to be around them- but you really cannot see why anyone would give them the time of day. The most interesting people have nothing to say because they are watching. Conversation isn’t always needed, and silence is a beautiful thing. Not talking is wonderful.
The title track is a straight up sassy number. If it doesn’t make you want to flaunt whatever goods you are blessed with, then you’re probably listening to something else. It starts off sounding like a Reggae number, and then just turns into this flamboyant sass-fest. You can’t get enough of it. The repeat button takes a right old bashing when you stick this record on. But the song isn’t about some girl named Sally that can’t dance. Read the lyrics- it is littered with references to drugs, rape and death. Painful topics that Lou exposed in a way no one else has ever done. Read the lyrics, and you’ll see it is a tale of what he was seeing. Quite possibly what New York was like back then. The song oozes wild bouts of depravity (I don’t mean this with reference to rape, I mean the decadent life that “Sally” led.) Maybe it’s about Edie Sedgwick, many have said that it is. Lou made you think, and that’s why I love him. One line from him could spiral your thoughts out of control then right back to a solid state of being. He even talks about his stay in a psychiatric hospital on Kill Your Sons, which is probably one of the most gut-wrenching songs I’ve heard by Lou. He had this way of really getting to the core of a feeling and exposing to you the truth of it all. Kill You Sons is all truth.
Sally Can’t Dance is a dark record. I’m not sure if it is Lou’s most sinister work, all I know is that a lot of the songs justify the common belief that he was pretty much, the best song writer of all time. He always made you feel like he was singing these songs to you- just you and him in a room. He was telling you these wild stories, and letting you in on the things he witnessed and the things he felt. He was a true wordsmith, and I think anyone that listens to him is often left wishing they could write something as captivating as he did. We can all do it, in our own way. Maybe we won’t show it to the world like Lou did, but the desire to do so is there. That’s powerful enough. Baby steps.
He can express the dark side of life in songs like Sally Can’t Dance, he can then reflect on a friendship in Billy and he can also be the most sarcastic of them all with songs like N.Y. Stars. N.Y. Stars is a nod to being bored with everything and everyone. The lack of depth in others has proven a way to be successful, but don’t buy into it. Listen to what Lou is saying here- don’t sell yourself short and don’t fucking dumb yourself down to please others. If you have to do that to keep people around, then please let them go and strike out on your own.
Sally Can’t Dance is a proper Rock & Roll record, what came after this was a record of feedback and beautiful noise. Were people ready for Metal Machine Music? I don’t know if the world ever was, but damn….it was glorious noise.
“Oh, I do believe If you don’t like things you leave For some place you’ve never gone before.”
All I want to do is listen to Lou Reed. All I want to do is listen to him so much it stops his death being true. A stranger’s death should not do this to me or anyone. But it has, and if I could make sense of why my brain is thinking this way and transporting it down to my heart, then I’d be really thankful of that. I’d like some understanding, but I know I’m not going to get anywhere with it. So all I can do is listen to his voice in any way that I can. Just to take in his words and to get some understanding from it all.
The past few days I’ve gone back to listening to Loaded. I always thought their first record was the one I adored the most, I really thought I had made a solid decision for once. But hey, I was wrong. I’m alright with that.
For me, Loaded is something else. There’s something about that record which is stronger than the others. Maybe it is stronger because there is no way you can tell that this band were once influenced by Andy Warhol. Sure the songs are more accessible than the likes of Heroin or Venus In Furs (but don’t trust anyone who doesn’t like those songs, or VU in general.) Loaded is full of songs that make you move in the most sassy way possible. Lou’s voice just makes you strut in the most flamboyant way possible. He embraced everything that is deemed as “weird” but on Loaded it seems more tame. For some, this may be shying away from all the Velvets were, but you must remember that they were a band that were ahead of their time. No one has ever come close to what they did, and still manage to do even though….well, you know.
Who Loves The Sun is a heartbreaking but beautiful sang by Doug Yule. Nothing matters once you’ve had your heart ripped out. No other songs sums it up more than Who Loves The Sun. However for me, the song that really does it for me is Rock & Roll. Rock & Roll sums up perfectly what it is like to fall in love with a song, and to then fall for the band behind it. It conjures up memories of falling in love with your favourite band(s) all over again as you listen to it. When I hear it, I just think about staring at that poster of Lou Reed and of Nick Cave on my uncle’s bedroom wall when I was about 3 or 4. I remember being in awe of them both, little did I know what would happen about 10 years later. I always think “Her life was saved by Rock & Roll”to be one of the most accurate lyrics ever written. I guess it’s probably because I feel it was written for me, I’m sure others feel exactly the same when they hear it.
I adore Lou’s vocals on this record. When he goes high and love on Cool It Down, and does something really gnarly with his voice on it. I think this just shows how brilliant he was as a vocalist. Sometimes he sounded bored on some songs, and that’s what lured you in. You wanted to see it all like he did, but obviously for the most part his voice just took you over with how sincere it was. His lyrics are a guide for life, and on Loaded it shows just how to have fun and to embrace every little thing that you can.
Loaded is a record that is pretty much taking over my mind at the moment. It’s the only thing I want to constantly listen to, and you know it has the greatest love song on it, right? I Found A Reason is a hopeful love song- especially if you’re hopeless like myself. I just love everything about it. I love the innocence to it, and in some respects you can say this about a few songs Lou Reed wrote (both with the Velvets and solo.) His innocent and vulnerable way with words just showcases how much of a genius he was, and his words are what he will always be remembered for. I Found A Reason is that one song that just captures everything love is. It doesn’t have to be in a romantic sense, if you don’t want it to be. It can be about finding a friend that finally gets you. Or maybe the whole song is a few minutes of irony, who knows. But dear reader, if you happen to find a friend who really gets you. Like really fucking gets you, and doesn’t mind that 3am phone call when your brain won’t turn off- then please hold onto them. Even if you have a weak grip. They will probably turn out to be the best pal you ever had, and you went about everything in the wrong way. Because that is what you do.
Loaded is a proper Rock & Roll record. They’ve got the riffs that make you wish you could play the guitar, they’ve got the songs that just move you- in body and mind. It’s a fantastic record that I still think isn’t given as much attention as it rightfully needs. I’m all for people saying that the Velvets first record was a stroke of genius, because it really is. But the thing is with Loaded, it is a record full of hidden beautiful moments that you pick up on when you have it playing over and over. I don’t know if it is actually possible to pick a favourite record by them and to stick with it. Maybe next week I’ll go back to declaring their self-titled record as their best work, but that just shows how brilliant The Velvet Underground were. Every record sounds different and is a step up from the last.
For me, I’ll always regard Lou and Mo Tucker to be two of the best at what they did..do..did. I’m not sure what tense to use anymore because the past tense just doesn’t sit right with me. Mo’s relaxed (yet furious when needed) drumming really fits with Lou’s soothing voice. If it was just those two making music, I still have every bit of confidence that they would have been the best band ever. When you listen to the music they made with each other, you can hear how they brought out the best in each other.
If you’ve got this far, I hope it makes you go and play Loaded in full. It’s just a romantic and perfect record. It is timeless and the lyrics are full of beauty. I just really miss Lou.
Beat In My Bones. 